[1][2] Born on November 22, 1919, Mullaney grew up in Main South,[1] at the time a predominantly Irish-Catholic neighborhood in Worcester.

[3][1] On November 27, 1950, he was awarded his third Purple Heart for an injury at Chosin that would end his military career.

[1][3] He mounted an unsuccessful campaign for the 3rd Congressional District of Massachusetts in 1974,[1][3] losing in the Democratic primary to Joseph D.

[1][3] In 1978, Mullaney was appointed a District Court Judge in Worcester County, where he served until his retirement in 1991.

He was a longtime member of Blessed Sacrament Catholic Church, Worcester, MA.